bravest man I ever knew, and the
best." He choked a bit. "You sacrificed all that life meant when this
girl was a baby, and now when she has come into womanhood you give up
your blood for her. By God! You are a man! I want your hand!"

In spite of himself he could not restrain the moisture that dimmed his
eyes as he gripped the toil-worn palm of this great, gray hulk of a
man, so aged and bent beneath the burden of his life-long, fadeless
love, who, in turn, was powerfully affected by the young man's
impulsive outburst of feeling and his unexpected words of praise. The
old man looked up a trifle shyly.

"Then you don't doubt no part of it?"

"Certainly not."

"Somehow, I always figured nobody would believe me if ever I told the
whole thing."

The soldier gazed unseeingly into the flame of his lamp, and said:

"I wonder if my love for the daughter is as great and as holy as your
love for the mother. I wonder if I could give what you have given, if I
had nothing but a memory to live with me." Then he inquired,
irrelevantly; "But what about Bennett, Mr. Gale? You say you never
found him?"

The trader answered, after a moment's hesitation, "He's still at
large." At which his companion exclaimed, "I'd love to meet him in your
stead!"

Gale seemed seized with a desire to speak, but, even while he
hesitated, out of the silent night there came the sound of quick
footsteps approaching briskly, as if the owner were in haste and knew
whither he was bound. Up the steps they came lightly; then the room and
the whole silence round about rang and echoed with a peremptory signal.
Evidently this man rapped on the board door to awaken and alarm, for
instead of his knuckles he used some hard and heavy thing like a
gun-butt.

"Lieutenant Burrell! Lieutenant Burrell!" a gruff voice cried.

"Who's there?" called the young man.

"Let me in! Quick! I've got work for you to do! Open up, I say! This is
Ben Stark!"

CHAPTER XV

AND A KNOT TIGHTENED

A day of shattered hopes is a desolate thing, but the night of such a
day is desolate indeed. In all his life Poleon Doret had never sunk to
such depths of despondency, for his optimistic philosophy and his
buoyant faith in the goodness of life forbade it. Therefore, when
darkness came it blotted out what little brightness and light and hope
were left to him after Necia's stormy interview with the Lieutenant.
The arrival of the freight steamer afforded him some distraction